Ham is truly a holiday and special occasion favorite. A good way to smoke ham is on a pellet grill. The first thing you need is a bag of wood pellets. The best flavors are maple, cherry, pecan, or hickory. Using a blend of all three can work too. Fill up your Traeger's hopper with the wood pellets.
How to choose the best ham for smoking
The best ham for smoking comes from the pig's leg and should be bought boneless, uncured, and cut in half. Try to buy a boneless ham from a butcher too. This is the best way to make sure you get a raw cut of ham, which is best for this recipe. If you can't do this, buying a whole or half-cured ham is fine. Look closely at how big the ham is. The best thing to smoke is always a half ham. One reason for this is that their size makes it easier to smoke. It also has more cooking space on the outside. Get a whole ham if you're feeding a big group, but ask your butcher to cut it into smaller pieces.
When picking a ham, avoid these qualities:
Low-sodium
Ham is at its best when it is salty. When pork is basted or smoked, it naturally lets out a lot of salt. Most low-sodium hams don't taste good and have way too little salt.
Pre-smoked
This may seem apparent, but it's worth mentioning. These are frequently pre-smoked or infused with a smoke-flavored liquid. Smoking a pre-smoked ham double-smokes it, resulting in unpleasant outcomes regarding taste.
Preparing the ham
Wet cure it
Dry curing, a technique for extending the shelf life of meat, is typically meant when the term “curing” is used. However, wet curing is ideal to do before smoking. You plan to use brine to wet-cure the meat. Prepare to play the long game; this procedure can take up to five to seven days. I assure you that the end product will be well worth it. Brine lets the liquid penetrate into the meat, keeping it moist as the salt and sodium nitrite cure it. The process of turning the flesh pink in this way also eliminates any potentially hazardous microorganisms.
Create the curing brine
Stir the following into a gallon of boiling water in a big pot:
- Salt equal to one and a half cups
- Brown sugar, enough to fill a standard measuring cup with half a cup of pickling spice
- Eight teaspoons of pink salt
Once it reaches a boil, set it aside until it cools to room temperature. Our brine is finally ready.
How to brine a fresh ham for pellet smoking
Prepare the curing brine by placing the meat in a brining bag and adding it after it cools to room temperature. Incorporate a quart to a gallon of ice water, too. This will ensure the brine is diluted and the ham is covered in the mixture.
Mix everything up using a long-handled spoon to prevent the brining ingredients from congregating at one end of the bag.
The contents of the brining bag should be refrigerated. The amount of time needed in the brine may vary greatly depending on how much meat is included in a single cut, but a good rule of thumb is one day for every two pounds of ham. Use a marinade injector to inject some brining liquid into the ham on two separate occasions while it rests in the fridge. Make multiple cuts like this across the ham. This will guarantee that the brine and its salts permeate the meat thoroughly and produce wonderful results.
Remove the ham from the refrigerator after the curing process is complete. Take it out of the brine bag with care. Use cold water to rinse the meat to remove any salt crystals or residue. Drain the ham for several hours by placing it on a grill grate with a pan below it. Once you rinse the meat, use a paper towel to absorb any remaining brine or liquid. The ham should be refrigerated until it is time to cook.
Make a glaze out of sugar and honey
A tasty glaze recipe elevates the flavor of any smoked ham to a new level. An excellent glaze not only absorbs part of the smoke taste but also provides a nice additional flavor to the meat's outer layer.
A sugar-based glaze is what you need to balance out the salty meat and brine. In a saucepan, combine the following as it heats over medium heat:
- Unsalted butter, four tablespoons of honey, and one cup's worth
- 1/4 cup whole-grain mustard
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
It's important to keep stirring while the butter melts and the other ingredients dissolve. The average time required is about three to four minutes. Turn off the heat once everything is mixed together.
It's time to smoke!
For our first step, we will fill up the hopper with pellets and keep things low and slow by preheating the smoker to around 250 degrees Fahrenheit (120 degrees Celsius). The fat side should face up in the smoker. Put the top on, and let it simmer for two hours. Turn the heat up to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (160 degrees Celsius) after two hours and cook for another hour or two. It would be best if you used a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the ham on a frequent basis. We must take care that the temperature within the body never rises over 165 degrees Fahrenheit or 75 degrees Celsius. It would be best if you glazed the ham during the last hour of cooking time. The glaze should be applied liberally and reapplied every 15 minutes for four coats. You will cook the glaze for no more than an hour; otherwise, it will become too sticky. Once done, slice and serve!
Smoked ham is a perfect meal for holidays and anytime all year round. The smoked flavor is fantastic; as you can see, the ham comes out juicy and tender. Many will love this recipe. I hope to hear your results in the comments below.